Confident that church freedoms are protected

by Bill Gates

When Del. John Olszewski Jr. sent out a press release on Thursday stating he intended to vote in favor of the bill legalizing same-sex marriages in Maryland, it swept through the media and appeared on online news sites within minutes.
    It also probably spared him phone calls from out-of-state interests seeking to win his support.
   

“For some reason, I didn’t get any calls from either side,” Olszewski said on Monday. “But that’s perfectly fine. I’m not star-struck, and wouldn’t make a decision one way or the other just because some celebrity called me.
    Olszewski, the 29-year-old Dundalk Democrat who is the chairman of the Baltimore County House delegation, was considered one of the crucial swing votes on the same-sex marriage legislation.
    The bill passed the House of Delegates in a Friday night vote, 72-67.
    That was one vote more than the minimum needed for passage.
    The bill now goes to the State Senate, which passed a similar bill in 2011. That bill was never brought up for a vote in the House.
    The other two 6th District delegates, Joseph “Sonny” Minnick and Michael Weir Jr., voted against the same-sex marriage bill.
    “I heard from many of my constituents before the vote asking me not to support [the bill],” Minnick said on Monday. “And I’ve received a lot of calls afterwards thanking me for my stand — many, many calls.
    “There have been a few [callers] who are disappointed in my vote, but it’s been running 10-to-one the other way.”
    Unlike Olszewski, Minnick and Weir were not spotlighted as legislators whose vote could be swung.
    “There was no pressure,” Minnick said. “Everyone knew my position on this bill. No one approached me.”
    Weir predicted on Friday afternoon the bill would probably pass.
    “They’re going to call for a vote tonight,” he said on Friday. “So they must feel they have the 71 votes.
    “I committed myself from the beginning that I was going to vote against this. I signed the constitutional amendment stating marriage could only be between a man and a woman.”
    Should it pass the Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley (a certainty), the bill will likely be challenged by a referendum allowing Maryland voters to have the final say.
    “I definitely believe we’ll get it to referendum,” said Minnick, who had already been contacted by the people who organized the petition drive to send the “Dream Act” (offering in-state college tuition rates to undocumented immigrants) to referendum.
    Opponents of the bill tried to get the word “marriage” changed to “civil unions” for same-sex couples, but were unsuccessful.
    They also attempted to add an amendment to the bill sending it straight to a referendum so citizens could vote on it, but that measure was also defeated by supporters.
    “That shows supporters aren’t confident voters will pass the bill,” Minnick said.
    Weir said opponents also tried to add an amendment which would keep literature concerning same-sex marriage from being shown to children at an early age, but it was defeated.
    Despite deciding to support the same-sex marriage bill, Olszewski would have preferred using the term “civil unions” and expects the bill to eventually be added to the ballot.
    “I completely trust this will be petitioned to referendum,” he said. “The people will decide the issue, and we can put it behind us.”
    Olszewski’s decision to vote in favor of the bill was mainly based on the addition of details protecting religious freedoms.
    He wanted to insure churches would not be forced to perform same-sex marriages, and would not be forced to provide facilities and accomodations for same-sex marriage ceremonies.
    “The religious protections had to be completely in place,” Olszewski said. “I’m proud of my efforts in this respect. The religious protection exemptions are stronger than they were in last year’s bill.
    “Obviously, I’ve always tried to strike a balance between protecting religious freedoms, making sure they’re intact, and providing people with equal rights under the law. It was hard to find a compelling reason to deny people individual rights my wife and I enjoy.”
    Olszewski also felt it unfair that criminals — rapists, murderers — still had the right to get married, but same-sex couples who were business owners and police officers were denied the right.
    He also realizes his vote may not please many of his constituents.
    “This is something people are very passionate about,” Olszewski said. “One side or the other was going to be disappointed in my vote. As strongly as people opposed to this felt, others felt just as strongly the other way.
    “We’re down here [in Annapolis] to make the difficult decisions. That’s our job. Hearing from our constituents is what it’s all about. The deliberations and discussions make the final result better.”